February is over, and I haven’t been as diligent as I should have been.
JLPT first practice test 😭
I think that the JLPT N1 practice test that I took during the second week of February discouraged me a little. It was the JLPT Official Practice Workbook (the one published in 2012). The vocabulary and grammar part was too difficult for me, but it is normal given that I still have several months to prepare.
What really discouraged me is the reading part. I found it very hard. Reading detective novels and thrillers is much easier than any of the N1 text! To be honest, I more or less thought that I could take the test without making extra efforts on the reading part, that I already had the required level. But now I think that I will have to read other things than best-selling novels if I want to score a good mark.
Another discouraging thing was listening. The listening questions of the practice test are too easy and do not correspond to the real test level. I feel that I have lost my time with the listening part of this test… I will have to look for good resources so that I can be well prepared. Listening is my weakest skill so I need to put some extra effort into this part.
JLPT goals 😕
My goals for February were:
- Kanji: reach week 2 day 3
- Grammar: reach week 4 day 4
- Vocabulary: reach unit 17
I have achieved the Kanji and vocabulary goals, but I haven’t reviewed the vocabulary regularly. As a result, I feel that I have forgotten several words of the previous lessons.
As for grammar, I have fallen behind schedule. I have completed week 3, but I still haven’t started week 4. I hope that I can study at least two lessons this weekend.
With vocabulary and grammar, I have realised that the more I review, the more I want to review, and the less I do, the less I want to. In March, I will try to open my vocabulary book and study my grammar flashcards at least once every other day.
Reading goals 🙂
I have completed all my reading goals! I have finally finished 『誰か』by Miyuki MIYABI, and I have finished 『向田理髪店』by Hideo OKUDA this week! I am still writing the review.
I also wanted to read another novel during the month, and I have read 『ジャッジメント』by Yuka Kobayashi.
New Korean site! 😄
In February, I have read a novel in Korean, which is a real accomplishment to me. Reading in Korean is really hard and after several failed attempts, I had more or less given up the idea of reading Korean authors in Korean.
The book I read is <교동회관 밀실 살인사건> by YUN Ja-yeong (윤자영), it is a detective novel with elements of thriller and psychological thriller. It was easy to read and very addictive.
At this time, I wanted to do something else than studying for the JLPT, so I have created a new site devoted to reading detective novels, thrillers and mystery novels in Korean and anything related to the world of crime fiction in Korea. I have played around with it for the past two weeks and had a lot of fun.
It is still a work in progress, but if you are interested in Korean crime fiction: hangukchurisoseol
March! 🎏🍜💕
I will go to Japan in March, for a five-day trip (I can’t wait to buy a Sailor special edition!) As a consequence, I won’t be posting during the second week of March.
My goals for March are only the JLPT basis that I need to do:
About
I’m learning Japanese, Korean and Chinese to read mystery novels and play video games in these languages.
Learning languages has always been one of my favourite hobbies, but I’m not a social person, I don’t like to meet new people and make friends, this is just not me. I keep hearing that languages are meant for communication, that we have to actively use them, talk with natives, etc. and for a long time, I thought it was weird to learn languages just to read books, with zero interest in communication.
Now I don’t really care what people think, and this blog helped me a lot to stop doubting myself and just do what I enjoy doing.
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